OTTAWA — A few members of Parliament returned from their summer break for a rare Sunday afternoon meeting, where the Conservative government committed that the looming prorogation of Parliament won’t end MPs’ study of how to better publicize their expenses.

In June, MPs unanimously agreed to have a Commons committee look at replacing the secretive Board of Internal Economy, which oversees MP salaries and expenses and other matters, with an independent oversight body. That motion also calls for inviting Canada’s auditor general to testify before the committee, and commits to a Dec. 2 reporting deadline.

But when Prime Minister Stephen Harper prorogues Parliament until next month, that motion will cease to exist. So New Democrat members of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs triggered an emergency meeting, concerned that the study would be forgotten post-prorogation.

“Canadians wanted this done a long time ago, so any potential delay was a very big concern for us,” NDP House Leader Nathan Cullen said. “Political will comes and goes.”

The Conservatives responded by scheduling the committee meeting for a Sunday afternoon, an unusual time for such a gathering.

The meeting was also originally supposed to be held behind closed doors. Prior to the meeting, Cullen said holding a meeting about transparency behind closed doors was “not a good first step on this new path towards transparency that this Parliament has committed itself to.”

Moments after the meeting began, MPs unanimously voted to open it up to the public.

Parliament is scheduled to return Sept. 16, but Harper is expected to prorogue Parliament until sometime next month, meaning all committees will be dissolved.

But by the end of Sunday’s hour-long session, Conservative, NDP and Liberal members of the committee all agreed to ask the government House leader to reintroduce the June motion with the exact same wording when the Commons reconvenes, thus seeking consent from all MPs to continue the committee’s work.

The move to open up MPs’ expenses comes after a spending scandal has dogged the Senate for months, with senators Patrick Brazeau, Mike Duffy, Pamela Wallin and Mac Harb (who has since left the Senate) coming under fire for improper expense claims.

The matter is now the subject of an RCMP investigation. But it has also prompted some calls for more transparency on the Commons side. MPs from all parties said they have heard about the matter from their constituents.

“Regaining the public trust is going to take a lot of work,” Cullen said. “I think there was a small, but important first step taken today.”

“(Canadians) want to know that we’re not stealing money,” he added. “And right now they’re looking at the Senate and they’re saying Canadians are getting ripped off.”

The Conservatives said they are committed to conducting a thorough review of the issue by the Dec. 2 deadline.

“The reason for conducting a study is to reaffirm to the public that their tax dollars are being spent appropriately,” said Saskatchewan Conservative MP Tom Lukiwski.

“Obviously, with recent events in the Senate the public is, I think rightfully, clamouring for more transparency and accountability. They want to make sure that their taxpayers’ dollars are being spent wisely and not abused,” he said. “They’ve seen what appears to be some pretty flagrant abuses in the Senate with tax dollars and I think the public is rightfully outraged.”

Lukiwski said the Conservatives had no choice but to schedule the meeting for a Sunday, because the committee chair, MP Joe Preston, was at a Commonwealth Association meeting in South Africa.

Liberal MP Kevin Lamoureux voted to continue the committee’s work, but said study of the issue is not enough and it’s time for action.

“At the end of the day, nothing was achieved with this meeting,” Lamoureux said. “We’re no further ahead today than we were yesterday.”

Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau said in June that the party’s MPs and senators will be publicly posting their travel and hospitality expenses starting this fall.